Part 5 (1/2)
”I was attacked,” he mumbled. ”The man--he hit me--with a club--and hauled me out of the cutter.”
”It must have been the fellow we saw on the road!” exclaimed Spud.
”Songbird, why did he do it?”
”I--I--do-don't know,” mumbled the sufferer. ”But maybe I do!” he suddenly shouted, in a strangely unnatural voice. Then with a sudden strength born of fear, he raised his left hand and dived down into the inner pocket of his coat. ”The package! It's gone!”
”The package! What package?” queried Sam.
”The package belonging to Mr. Sanderson!” gasped poor Songbird. ”The package with the four thousand dollars in it! It's gone!” and with another groan Songbird lapsed once more into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER IV
THE CHASE
It must be confessed that Sam and Spud, as well as the woman of the house, were very much surprised over the statement made by Songbird.
”Attacked and robbed!” murmured Sam. ”What an awful thing to do!”
”He said he had been robbed of four thousand dollars!” broke in Spud.
”Where in the world would he get that much money? He must be dreaming, Sam.”
”I hardly think so, Spud. I know he was to go on a very important errand for Mr. Sanderson, who is laid up at home with a sprained ankle.”
”Well, if Songbird was robbed, it's more than likely the fellow we saw in the cutter did it.”
”Exactly! And the chances are he will get away just as fast as he possibly can,” added Sam, bitterly.
”What do you think we ought to do?”
”I think we ought to notify the authorities, Spud.”
”Hadn't we better wait until we get some particulars from Songbird?”
”Not much! The quicker we get after that fellow the better. Remember he is running away not only with the money but also with Mr. Sanderson's horse and cutter. Many people living in this vicinity know Mr.
Sanderson's animal, and that may help us to locate that rascal.” Sam turned to the woman of the house. ”Have you a telephone?”
”No, we haven't any; but the folks in the next house up the road have one.”
”Then I'll go there and telephone,” said Sam. ”You do what you can for Songbird, Spud. I'll try to get a doctor, too, while I'm at it.”
In a few seconds more Sam was on the way, using his horse and cutter for that purpose. Arriving at the next farmhouse, he readily received permission to use the telephone, and at once got into communication with the authorities in Ashton, and asked the official in charge to send word around to the various towns and villages within the next ten or fifteen miles, and he also sent word to a physician at Ashton. Then he managed to get Grace on the wire.
”I'm afraid I'll be late,” he told the girl. ”And maybe I won't be able to get there at all,” he added. ”Songbird has been knocked down on the road and robbed, and he is in pretty bad shape.”
”Oh, Sam! isn't that too bad!” was Grace's reply. ”Do you mean that he is seriously injured?”
”We can't tell yet, Grace. I have just telephoned for the doctor, and now I am going back to the Bray farmhouse, where Songbird is, to wait for him.” And after that Sam gave the girl as many details of the affair as he deemed necessary.
”Oh! I hope he gets over it, Sam,” said Grace. ”And to think he was robbed of all that money! If they can't get it back, what ever will Songbird and the Sandersons do?”